Tag: UFC 257

UFC 257 results: Julianna Pena shakes off slow start, submits Sara McMann

Julianna Pena started slow, but when she picked up the pace, there was no stopping her.

It took [autotag]Julianna Pena[/autotag] a while to get up and running in her UFC 257 bout against [autotag]Sara McMann[/autotag] on Saturday night.

But once Pena (10-4 MMA, 5-3 UFC) did, it was like watching a sports car rev up. “The Ultimate Fighter 18” winner shook off a slow round, turned the tide in the second, then finished things with a rear-naked choke in the third. The time of the finish was 3:39 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

“It went exactly as I expected,” Pena said. “Sara McMann is the best wrestler in the division. I beat the best wrestler in the division, and now I want Amanda Nunes next.”

The first round was all for 2004 Olympic wrestling silver medalist McMann (12-6 MMA, 6-6 UFC). She came into the bout the all-time leader in takedowns in the women’s bantamweight division with 20 and wasted little time adding to her total. She transitioned from side control to a back take and nearly sunk in her hooks, then when she couldn’t quite get there, transitioned to top control, landing elbows along the way.

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The second saw both fighters have their moments in a round again mostly fought on the ground, but as the round wore on, it was clear Pena was becoming stronger, even as she was on the bottom where she landed punch after punch as McMann tried to improve her position.

By the third, Pena had plainly taken over. She was aggressive from the outset, threw McMann to the mat, landed elbows aggressively as McMann turtled, then made a sweet transition to take her back and sink in the winning choke, the fourth submission victory of her career.

Pena has now won two of her past three bouts, while McMann has dropped three of her past four.

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Up-to-the-minute UFC 257 results:

Marcin Prachnio says he wasn’t worried about being cut | UFC 257 post-fight

Marcin Prachnio addressed the media during a post-fight press conference after his decision win over Khalil Rountree at #UFC257 in Abu Dhabi.

Marcin Prachnio addressed the media during a post-fight press conference after his decision win over Khalil Rountree at #UFC257 in Abu Dhabi.

Movsar Evloev aiming for ranked opponent next | UFC 257 post-fight

Movsar Evloev addressed the media during a post-fight press conference after his decision win over Nik Lentz at #UFC257 in Abu Dhabi.

Movsar Evloev addressed the media during a post-fight press conference after his decision win over Nik Lentz at #UFC257 in Abu Dhabi.

Jon Jones shares McGregor-Poirier prediction with curious kids at his front door

This is pretty cool to watch.

If you were curious about [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag]’ prediction for tonight’s UFC 257 main event between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier, you have a couple of curious kids to thank for now knowing.

Just hours before McGregor and Poirier were set to rematch, Jones shared a video on social media in which he answers two young kids who are at his front door. They’re about to walk away until Jones begins talking to them through his security system. What happens next is very cool.

Check it out (via Intsagram):

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CKaHJd3nwHx/?igshid=1ntj74mca4gnm

Way to go, kids. Not every day you get the scoop and an autograph from a UFC legend and make him laugh.

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

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UFC 257: This little kid’s Conor McGregor impersonation is too good

This kid is incredible.

UFC 257 is underway right now in Abu Dhabi and it should be a great pay-per-view that will see Conor McGregor squaring off with Dustin Poirier in a highly anticipated main event between two of the best lightweights in the world.

This will be the first time we see McGregor in the Octagon since he needed just 40 seconds to knockout out Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone a little over a year ago in Las Vegas.

As we get ready for McGregor’s return later on tonight, let’s have some fun and look at this incredible Conor McGregor impersonation by a young fan who absolutely nails this whole thing:

Too good.

UFC 257 discussion thread

UFC 257 takes place Saturday in Abu Dhabi, and you can discuss the event here.

ABU DHABI – MMA Junkie is on scene and reporting live from Saturday’s UFC 257 event at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, which kicks off at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT). You can discuss the event here.

Be sure to follow along with the latest card updates in our UFC 257 live results post, and then discuss the event in the comments section below.

Round-by-round updates and official results begin at approximately 7 p.m. ET for the preliminary card and 10 p.m. ET for the main card.

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Yes, Eminem gave Dana White a piece of his mind on SportsCenter. No, it wasn’t legit.

It was all part of Eminem’s latest music video for “Higher,” which is being used to hype UFC 257.

By now, you may have seen the clip that’s been floating around on social media of rapper Eminem giving UFC president Dana White a piece of his mind.

It stared making the rounds two days ago and showed Eminem and White together on ESPN’s “SportsCenter,” apparently giving some kind of a joint interview. In the nine-second clip, this is what Eminem said to White:

“I think that people like you give people like me the fuel that they need to succeed in the first place. I think that the best part about your opinion is that it doesn’t matter, and if every fighter that you had listened to your opinion when you doubted them, you wouldn’t have a f*cking league.”

If you saw it, you may have gone, “whoa.” You also may have thought to yourself that we needed more context, which we got Saturday before UFC 257. And, yeah, the whole thing was staged.

It was part of Eminem’s latest music video for “Higher,” which dropped Saturday on YouTube. The song has been used for weeks to hype the highly anticipated return of Conor McGregor against Dustin Poirier in the UFC 257 headliner.

The video features actual fight footage from a host of UFC stars, including Israel Adesanya, Amanda Nunes, and Max Holloway. You can check it out below (the part with Eminem and White is at the 2:12 mark):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfobiCq0YUc

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

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UFC 257 featuring Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier live stream, UFC 257 fight card, odds, predictions, how to watch

UFC 257 is set to take place on Saturday and will feature McGregor vs. Poirier in the main event, stream all the UFC action right here.

It’s been a while but Conor McGregor is back in the octagon and will be featured on the first pay-per-view event of 2021 when he faces Dustin Poirier tonight from Fight Island.

This will be a rematch from when they fought back in 2014 when Conor McGregor was able to knock out Dustin Poirier in the first round of action. Since then, McGregor has boxed Floyd Mayweather and acquired massive wealth but if you think he’s taking this fight lightly, you should watch some of his training videos, the guy is ripped coming into this fight.

We have an absolutely stacked card tonight and this should be a good one to start the UFC year, below is everything you need to know to follow the action tonight!

UFC 257: McGregor vs. Poirier

  • Date: Saturday, January 23
  • Location: Fight Island, Abu Dhabi
  • Prelims: 8:00 pm ET
  • Main Card: 10:00 pm ET
  • Live Stream: ESPN+ (Sign Up Now)

UFC 257 fight card

Main Card (10 PM ET, ESPN+ PPV)

  • Lightweight: Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor
  • Lightweight: Dan Hooker vs. Michael Chandler
  • Flyweight: Jessica Eye vs. Joanna Calderwood
  •  Catchweight: Matt Frevola vs. Arman Tsarukyan
  • Strawweight: Marina Rodriguez vs. Amanda Ribas

Prelims (5 PM ET, ESPN/ESPN+)

  • Lightweight: Armen Tsarukyan vs. Nasrat Haqparast
  • Middleweight: Brad Tavares vs. Antonio Carlos Junior
  • Bantamweight: Julianna Pena vs. Sara McMann
  • Light Heavyweight: Khalil Rountree Jr. vs. Marcin Prachnio

EARLY PRELIMS (3:30 PM ET, ESPN+)

  • Middleweight: Andrew Sanchez vs. Makhmud Muradov
  • Catchweight: Nik Lentz vs. Movsar Evloev
  • Flyweight: Amir Albazi vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov

UFC Odds and Betting Lines

UFC odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook.  Odds updated last on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. ET

Conor McGregor (-300) vs. Dustin Poirier (+240)

Want some action on the UFC? Place your legal sports bets on this game or others in CO, IN, NJ, and WV at BetMGM. 

UFC Exclusively on ESPN+

ESPN is the exclusive destination for UFC and all of its pay-per-view events, meaning that you will have to have an ESPN+ subscription as well as purchase the PPV event.  The fight alone is $64.99 but if you buy the Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ bundle and the fight it costs $84.98, which is savings of over 25%.

Read our review of ESPN+.

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Michael Chandler soaks in first official UFC fight week on cusp of debut at UFC 257

“I’ve been in some big events before, but this is by far the biggest one.”

ABU DHABI – [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag]’s first official UFC fight week is in the books.

The former Bellator lightweight champion has gone through all the protocols and duties required from a UFC fighter as he prepares for his promotional debut this Saturday against Dan Hooker in the co-main event of UFC 257. Chandler (21-5 MMA, 0-0 UFC) had a test run in October when he served as a replacement opponent for the lightweight title fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje at UFC 254. Although Chandler wasn’t needed, it was a good exercise and preparation for his debut.

Now, just hours away from fighting in the octagon for the first time, Chandler rates highly his first UFC fight week experience.

“It feels good, man. It’s all part of the process, and it’s something that I’ve done a lot in my career, but just not at this magnitude,” Chandler told MMA Junkie. “The weight came off great. Obviously the set up here on Yas Island is awesome. They roll out the red carpet for you, and it’s been a great experience. That first trip to Abu Dhabi served me well for this trip. I know all the staff now, familiar faces, putting names with faces, and it’s been a great week.”

Chandler has been on big stages outside of the UFC and has been a notable name for many years. Yet, despite being one of the most recognized fighters outside of the UFC, Chandler believes the attention has grown dramatically since he left Bellator to sign.

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“It’s definitely something I’ve been enjoying. I love media obligations,” Chandler said. “Every single time there’s a microphone near me, it’s with a purpose.

“I truly believe God has had me in the palm of his hand since I started fighting, and I relish these opportunities. I relish in the opportunities that I get to show the UFC staff I’m an easy guy to work with, that I’m a guy who’s willing to go above and beyond, and truthfully this is my platform.

“Eventually the microphones will go away. Eventually you wont be getting the media requests. And that, to me, is just a call to action to a lot of professional fighters, us, who get this great opportunity. So it’s been a lot. The UFC is a great machine. I’ve been in some big events before, but this is by far the biggest one. This is bigger than anything I’ve ever been a part of. It hasn’t quite sunk in, and I hope it never sinks in how big this thing is because I want to focus on the task at hand and get my hand raised inside of the octagon.”

Once the cage door closes on Saturday, Chandler will be standing across one of the best lightweights on the UFC roster. Hooker is 7-2 in his past nine bouts since moving up from 145 pounds. “The Hangman” is a respected figure in the UFC, and Chandler is excited to showcase his skills against a proven and battle-tested veteran.

“Dan Hooker is professional. He’s a fighter’s fighter,” Chandler said. “You’re going to have a hard time finding someone in this organization who doesn’t have a ton of respect for Dan Hooker. He’s a great guy to draw for my first fight. He’s a tough out. He’s got great physical attributes. We’ll see Saturday night where I stack up in the lightweight division.”

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https://youtu.be/UjGp1O6aOy8

Video: Keys to victory in Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier rematch

Some final thoughts on how things could play out in the highly anticipated Conor McGregor-Dustin Poirier rematch at UFC 257.

That’s it. [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] and [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] have made it through UFC 257 fight week. All that’s left is the fighting.

On Saturday in Abu Dhabi, McGregor and Poirier will run it back in a rematch of a September 2014 featherweight bout won by McGregor via knockout inside of two minutes. This time they’ll meet at lightweight with much higher stakes – likely a shot at the vacant championship, if not a rematch with Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Will things be different? What are the keys to victory for both men? Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Mike Bohn, Danny Segura, and “Gorgeous” George Garcia offered their final thoughts in this week’s episode.

You can watch in the video above. You can also check out our fight analyst Dan Tom’s in-depth breakdown below:

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